Spring Tablescape Series: Floral arrangements for your table

Whatever your occasion, flowers on the table are a must! Whether it's formal, casual, feminine, masculine, or juvenile, there's a floral arrangement that will work beautifully! Take a look at these:

I love sunflowers in summer and putting them in a tall vase filled with lemons and limes is just so summery! Since sunflowers are thick and heavy, the fruits will help to hold the stems in place in your vase. You can either use sliced fruits or put the whole lemons and limes in the vase. I think this works best for a casual occasion - great for a masculine look as well.

Taken from The Southern State of Mind

I haven't done this one yet, but I've seen many version of candy filled vases and getcreativejuice.com tells you how to do it. I love the idea of daisies and favorite candies for a kids' party. But you can use this idea for any occasion based on the types of candies, flowers, and color combination you choose. Love this!

Taken from GetCreativeJuice.com

Here's another one I love - mini flowers in mini vases! Again, there are many ways to do this. I'm a big fan of multi-colored vases in different shapes and sizes. Make an arrangement of 5 or 6 of these with a single stem flower in each and you have your centerpiece! As I looked around for some good representative pictures, I found The Nectar Collective, which used mini alcohol bottles for vases! Great idea for a men's party, and perhaps a good time putting these together as you empty the bottles!

Taken from the Nectar Collective

This is a great idea that doubles as a party favor if needed. Potted plants or flowers to suit your specific occasion. This photo is from Simply Stunning Ideas and I love the colorful pots they used.

Taken from Simply Stunning Ideas

Lastly, if you'd like an alternative to flowers, this is a beautiful design from Dining Delight. And quite romantic too!

Taken from Dining Delight

If you have a favorite centerpiece idea, share it in the comments!

5 Baby Shower Themes to Love

Baby shower themes, whether for boy, girl, or neutral, can be a ton of fun! There are so many cute options and with the wonderful world of Pinterest, you can go crazy with fun ways to play up your theme. Below are a five of my favorite themes.


Jungle - There are so many cute ideas for a jungle theme. Print out a picture of one of these cakes and take it to your local bakery to see if they can recreate it.

                                                       Best jungle themed cake 1 

                                                        Best jungle themed cake 2

Love these ideas for room and table decor from Uptown Girl Fashion Magazine

Winnie the Pooh - My all time favorite theme is classic Pooh, so I'm particularly fond of this theme.

                                                 Best Winnie the Pooh cake 1                               

                                                  Best Winnie the Pooh cake 2

I found some super cute ideas for favors and table centerpieces at Domestic Geek Girl. 
Check it out.

Owls - Owls are so popular now, there are many great ideas to be found. Here are a few of my faves.

                                                       Best owl themed cake 1

                 
                                                  Best owl themed cake 2

                                                  Best owl table and room decor

Hot air balloons - I love a hot air balloon theme because it's so dreamy! Take a look at these awesome ideas!

                                                      Hot air balloon cake 1                                                     

                                                  Hot air balloon cake 2                                                              
                                                 

I love what's showing at Spaceships and Laserbeams for hot air balloon decor. This one is for a boy buy can easily be adapted with more pink for a girl or green for neutral.

And my final theme:

Taken from Celebrations.com

Taken from Kara's Party Ideas

Taken from HWTM

Have you had the task of planning a themed baby shower? Have you attended a themed baby shower? Tell us about it in the comments.

Spring Tablescape Series: Mother's Day Lunch or Brunch

Each week this month we're featuring a special spring occasion with some favorite table setting and decorating ideas from our favorite blogs and websites. Last week was Cinco de Mayo, and some of those ideas will work great for any summer party with a Mexican theme. So, just because May 5th is passed doesn't mean you missed the boat.  Go back and check out our colorful, Mexican influenced table ideas.

This week is, of course, all about Moms! We're featuring Mother's Day table settings, so whether you're celebrating with brunch or dinner, you'll find everything from elaborate and elegant, to fun, colorful, and kid-friendly.  

For Mother's Day decorating, it's all about her favorite colors, flowers, and kid contributions.  Take a look:

These first two photos from Home-Dzine, are great examples of using favorite color combinations to personalize a simpler setting.

Taken from home-dzine.co.za

Taken from home-dzine.co.za

This next website has so many different designs, I plan to save it for year round occasions! These are two of my favorites, that the kids will surely enjoy!

Taken from familyholiday.net

Taken from familyholiday.net

Love these colorful outdoor settings. Hostess with the Mostess and Catch my Party include many printables for kid crafts to add to the display.

Taken from Hostess with the Mostess

Taken from Catch My Party

Enjoy your Mother's Day celebration and have a happy day!

Spring Tablescapes Series - First Up: Cinco de Mayo

If you're looking for inspiration for your next spring table setting, we've pulled some favorite ideas from some of our favorite blogs and websites. Whether it's Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, bridal luncheon, birthday or BBQ, we've got some great ideas coming your way.

First up is Cinco de Mayo. We're hosting a small dinner this weekend, originally intended as a spring birthday dinner, but given the timing, we are going with Cinco de Mayo theme.

For Cinco de Mayo decorating, it's all about bold, vibrant colors - red, yellow, blue, teal, pink. Get creative with things you have at home, like colored candle holders and tea lights, colored jars of all shapes and sizes, vases, and dishes. Use colored vases and dishes if you have them. If not, add color with linens, flowers and colored candles. Check out your local Party City for added fun items like mini pinatas, cocktail plates and napkins. If you can find mariachis, add them to the table for a festive touch.

Find your own inspiration from some of these favorite photos. The first one is actually a jigsaw puzzle, but I love the look of the table, and it's fairly easy to recreate something similar.

Jigidi.com

The Welcomed Guest

Celebrations.com

Dinner 4 Two

Dinner 4 Two

HGTV

Ole and Enjoy!

Have a happy day!

Healthy Springtime Dish - Asparagus Salad Recipe

My husband, Ken, loves asparagus. And he loves tomatoes. And he loves pesto.

So when I found a recipe that combined all three, how could I not make it???

I found the original recipe at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, and if you are avoiding gluten and wish to make your own pesto sauce, then this is the recipe for you!

I went for ease and I'm okay with gluten, so my recipe below uses pesto in a jar, regular pasta, and grape tomatoes.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus
• 1 pound spiral pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. jar of your favorite pesto sauce, room temperature
• 2 cups halved grape tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the asparagus spears. Cook on medium heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove the asparagus spears from the water and place in colander, reserving water in pot. Rinse asparagus with cold water.
2. Bring the water back to a boil. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and add pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Put into a large serving bowl. 
3. Cut asparagus tips 2 inches from the top. Cut remaining spears into 1 inch pieces. Add to the pasta.
4. Toss the pasta, asparagus, and tomatoes with the pesto, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with lemon juice and pine nuts. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photo courtesy of fatfreevegan.com

One of our favorite dishes any time of year is shrimp with angel hair and pesto. For a change, serve this asparagus salad with grilled shrimp and it's a great springtime treat!

Have a happy day!

Thoughtful Presence Spring Giveaway: Favorite Signs of Spring

I have many favorite signs of spring. You would think the first sign of spring is melting snow. But with the winter we've had this year (here in the midwest, and for many of you in other parts of the country as well), we are still seeing snow well into spring.

One of my favorite signs of spring, and definitely a first sign of spring, is the morning song of the birds in the trees outside our bedroom window. The first time you hear it, you're reminded of the winter silence and now you know spring is in the air.

Another of my favorite signs of spring is the buds and bulbs popping up from the ground in the garden. As spring fever hits, Ken and I have now taken to walking outside and peering down into the dirt searching for those first signs of "buddage".

The first day the temps go above 55, and you can smell spring in the air, is another favorite sign of mine. We usually then pull the grill out of the garage and excitedly plan our first BBQ menu of the season!  (Couldn't find a photo of Ken at the grill)

Flipping the calendar page to April - another favorite sign. We have a bunch of spring birthdays among our family and friends, so as soon as I turn the page to April, I get excited about Easter and Mother's Day and all of the birthdays (mine included!) that fall in between. (If you zoom in, you can see the two photos on the calendar are mine and Ken's birthdays!)

Adding one more to this list, a favorite sign of spring is beginning talks about camping! Ken always took a spring camping trip with the guys before we were married, and has done it on occasion since, but we more enjoy camping together and with groups of friends. Starting those plans and choosing new places to visit is on my list of favorite signs of spring.

Lastly, I came across this photo as I was putting together this post, and I cannot forget the most awesome sign of spring, when newborn bunnies are born in our backyard!

What's on your list? Give us your comments below and click on this link to enter our 

Spring Gift Set Giveaway! 

Join us on Facebook, enter the giveaway and you could win this:

Now, it's your turn.  Fill in the blank: You know it's spring when_________

We've Put Together Your Favorite Easter Brunch Recipes

For your Easter celebration, if you're going brunch this year, we've put together a full menu of elegant and delicious recipes. Just add your favorite drinks and an extra sweet or two, and you're all set. 

BHG is my first go-to for party planning (and gardening...and decor...and...).  I always manage to find favorite recipes on BHG. This Bacon Asparagus Strata is perfect for a Spring or Easter brunch. 

Courtesy of bhg.com

 I give you fair warning, these adorable little bunny breads take work, so prepare yourself and make them a day ahead. They are cinnamon flavor and slightly sweet so a perfect side bread. 

Courtesy of recipe.com

 Add some light and delicious flavor to your menu with a spinach strawberry salad with blue cheese, avocado, and pecans.  A wonderful mix of flavors for spring or summer!

Courtesy of closetcooking.com

A sweet side dish are these wonderful strawberry cream crepes. You can use fresh strawberries or fill the crepes with preserves and serve a little whip cream on the side.

Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Another delicious and healthy side dish are these yogurt granola parfaits from BHG. Mix it up with whatever fruit you prefer. Use banana with almonds, peaches and mango or orange and kiwi.  Your choice!

Courtesy of bhg.com

 Add to all of these lovely side dishes a baked ham, either pre-made from Honeybaked or bake your own if you choose, and a batch of classic deviled eggs.

Courtesy of foodnetwork.com

Photo courtesy of Honeybaked Ham

What's planned for your Easter celebration?